Second baseman Don Blasingame was a veteran who already had been an all-star and had played in a World Series when he was traded to the Senators in 1963. He was a solid fielder but never much at the plate – a spray hitter without much power. Yet when he retired, he held an impressive … Continue reading Hard to double-up: the Nats’ Don Blasingame and others
Category: The expansion team, 1961-1971
The Washington Senators after the A.L. expanded to 10 teams and the original team moved to Minnesota
‘Fastest’ pitchers in 1962? The Washington Senators’ staff
The lengthening of MLB games has led to rule changes aimed at producing more actions in less time. Some fans like the changes. Others find them appalling. The “Manfred man” runner on second base to begin an extra inning seems to draw the most ire. Banning extreme shifts, which had not existed much 20 or … Continue reading ‘Fastest’ pitchers in 1962? The Washington Senators’ staff
Home No-Hitters: The Nationals’ Unique Streaks Explained
When the Nationals were no-hit by Michael Lorenzen on August 9, 2023, in Philadelphia, it ended the longest active streak by a major league franchise of not having been victimized that way. The Nats’ predecessor, the Montreal Expos, were last no-hit on July 18, 1999, in New York when the Yankees' David Cone threw a … Continue reading Home No-Hitters: The Nationals’ Unique Streaks Explained
Who moved the Senators?
Two men, one an heir and the other an unscrupulous financier, were responsible for Washington losing its two American League baseball teams, 11 years apart. The first was Calvin Griffith. He did what his uncle, Clark Griffith, never considered: moving the original Washington A.L. team to Minnesota. The District then was stuck with an expansion … Continue reading Who moved the Senators?
Darold Knowles: all-star closer for the expansion Nats
Lefty Darold Knowles holds a record that can’t be broken, having appeared in all seven games of the 1973 World Series with the Athletics, but his best years came as the premier reliever for the expansion Senators from 1967 to 1970. Knowles was acquired from the Phillies on November 30, 1966, for fading outfielder Don … Continue reading Darold Knowles: all-star closer for the expansion Nats
King Charles was introduced to baseball at RFK
Britain’s King Charles III turned 75 in November 2023, after waiting nearly 74 of those years to take the throne. He and I have a couple of things in common. We each saw the Washington Senators play at D.C.’s Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, and we were born days apart on the same island nation. … Continue reading King Charles was introduced to baseball at RFK
The best cards of the only expansion Nat that fans remember
Hastily assembled in December 1960, the expansion Senators lost 100 games four seasons in a row. Manager Gil Hodges, hired in May 1963, pushed for a trade of the Senators’s best pitcher, lefty Claude Osteen, to the Dodgers, for several unproven players and one slugging outfielder, 6-foot-7 Frank Howard. "Hondo," the beloved hero of so … Continue reading The best cards of the only expansion Nat that fans remember
Last A.L. team to finish 10th? The 1968 Senators
Baseball traditionalists chafe at the current setup that allows six teams from each league to make the post-season, but surely few of them want a return to the 1960s when the first round of expansion presented 15 opportunities for teams to finish 10th. Thanks to the horrendous Cleveland Spiders, losers of 134 of 154 games … Continue reading Last A.L. team to finish 10th? The 1968 Senators
A near claim to fame for Sievers and Roseboro
While it doesn’t rank near the game’s well-known achievements, being the last player to wear the uniform of a relocated (and sometimes renamed) team has given 11 men since 1953 a certain claim to fame. A single at-bat at the end of the1956 season, for example, made Bob Aspromonte the last man to have played … Continue reading A near claim to fame for Sievers and Roseboro
Why doesn’t Tom Cheney have a ’63 Topps card?
The 1963 Topps baseball card set has 576 cards, but famously not one is of the reigning National League MVP, Maury Wills. The story is that in the spring of 1959, Wills wasn’t offered $5 to sign the standard Topps contract to put his image on a card because he wasn’t a good enough prospect. … Continue reading Why doesn’t Tom Cheney have a ’63 Topps card?
August 29, 1963: Twins hit record 8 homers against Senators in D.C.
updated August 2025 At D.C. Stadium on August 29, 1963, the Minnesota Twins tied the then-major-league record for home runs in a game by one team with eight. Harmon Killebrew had two round-trippers. Bob Allison had one. Both had been sluggers with the old Senators. A future expansion Nat, Bernie Allen, hit one. The eight … Continue reading August 29, 1963: Twins hit record 8 homers against Senators in D.C.
A pitcher wearing number 1? It’s happened before
It's rare but not unique. Five pitchers in MLB history had worn uniform number 1 before MacKenzie Gore of the Nationals began wearing it in 2023. Gore became the first Nationals’ pitcher to wear a single-digit number, let alone number 1. He also became the first MLB pitcher to wear it for more than one … Continue reading A pitcher wearing number 1? It’s happened before
June 18, 1961: Devastating loss sends expansion Nats into downward spiral
The expansion Senators, surprisingly, split their inaugural season’s first 60 games. After beating the Orioles on June 15, the Nats stood 30-30 in fifth place in the 10-team league when they arrived in Boston to begin a four-game series. The Red Sox were two games under .500 in sixth place. After blowing a 6-0 lead Friday … Continue reading June 18, 1961: Devastating loss sends expansion Nats into downward spiral
Senators’ Alyea, Nationals’ Milone homer on first pitch they see
Outfielder Brant Alyea was a September call-up for the expansion Senators in 1965. Manager Gil Hodges sent him up as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning against the Angels in D.C. on September 12. He hit lefty Rudy May’s first pitch over the left-field fence. The three-run homer put the Nats up 6-0 on the … Continue reading Senators’ Alyea, Nationals’ Milone homer on first pitch they see
‘Baseball Bill’ helped stop Bob Short from coming back to D.C.
“Baseball Bill” Holdforth was a longtime bartender and voracious beer drinker who also was a rabid Washington Senators’ fan. He was an usher at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium before the team moved to Texas. In 1978, Holdforth earned himself a place in Washington baseball history through his determination to ensure that Robert Short paid a … Continue reading ‘Baseball Bill’ helped stop Bob Short from coming back to D.C.
Presidential openers and D.C.
During his long tenure in Washington, Clark Griffith cultivated relationships with every U.S. President from William Howard Taft to Dwight Eisenhower. The Nats’ owner helped keep baseball going during World War I and again in World War II. See my SABR team ownership history (or on this site) of the original Senators for more about … Continue reading Presidential openers and D.C.
Minnie Minoso, the only expansion Senator in the Hall of Fame
Orestes “Minnie” Minoso, inducted in 2022, is the only member of the Hall of Fame to have played for the expansion Washington Senators. He did so during that franchise’s worst season, 1963, when he was 39 years old. It was the last time he played on semi-regular basis, appearing 109 games and getting up 363 … Continue reading Minnie Minoso, the only expansion Senator in the Hall of Fame
All-Star Games in D.C.: 1937, 1956, 1962, 1969 and 2018
During the depth of the Great Depression, with a quarter of the American workforce unemployed, baseball attendance had fallen by 40 percent. A World’s Fair was scheduled in Chicago in the summer of 1933, and the city’s mayor wanted a major sports event to accompany it. He asked the publisher of the Chicago Tribune for … Continue reading All-Star Games in D.C.: 1937, 1956, 1962, 1969 and 2018
Post-1900 A.L., N.L., Washington has never been no-hit at home*
Playing at home, Washington's American and National League teams -- be it the current Nationals, the original Nationals/Senators or the expansion Senators -- have never been no-hit.* Here's a look at the visiting teams that have been no-hit in D.C. and no-hitters throw by Washington pitchers on the road. The Nationals, 2005 to 2022: Nationals’ … Continue reading Post-1900 A.L., N.L., Washington has never been no-hit at home*
Ron Hansen’s 1968 unassisted triple play
More than half a century has passed since a player for the Washington Senators accomplished one of the rarest feats in the game: an unassisted triple play. It happened on July 30, 1968, a blowout loss for Washington during a season in which the Senators became the last American League team to finish in 10th … Continue reading Ron Hansen’s 1968 unassisted triple play
Washington baseball history 